1972 Chevy Cheyenne - Lemon-Filled Creampuff

Sometimes it's hard to beat the feeling of buying a new truck. How often have we driven or even dragged a new hauler home only to find ourselves soon after standing in the driveway or garage basking in the glory of a fresh acquisition? But nothing can kill that joy faster than finding out you just bought a lemon...or, at the very least, something not quite exactly what the seller made it out to be. Yep, that's when all your future visions of the truck are erased from your mind and replaced with images you may later regret once the rage wears off.

While the days of clever used car lot scams are, for the most part, a thing of the past, thanks in no small part to the Internet and sites like CARFAX.com, it's still buyer beware no matter what when you're dealing with private party sales. Fortunately, most enthusiasts are honest folk, and when buying or selling amongst themselves, underlying issues are brought to the surface. But there are still plenty of classic trucks that haven't actually circulated into the hands of enthusiasts, especially late '60s and early '70s models. When Robert Parrish purchased his '72 Cheyenne Super just a couple of years ago, he thought he'd scored an absolute creampuff-at least that's what he was lead to believe, even after a quickie test drive.

From the outside, the truck was, and still is, a gorgeous classic. Its vermillion red and gold two-tone absorbs the warmth of the afternoon sun like no other color combo, and the brightwork further accentuates that even more. Even the interior, with its resto-mod mix of components, keeps pace with the quality of the exterior. So it's easy to see how the curb appeal did a fine job of luring Robert in.

But a couple of days after the truck was initially purchased, Robert began to sense something sour. Under the truck, he noticed a coolant leak on his garage floor, so he investigated to track down the source. Turned out one of the freeze plugs was leaking, which didn't seem like a big deal at first, but upon further probing, he noticed a "quick-fix" plug on the other side of the block. Long story short, the reportedly rebuilt engine was starting to look like an average old used engine, so out it came. Beneath the truck, Robert found that the suspension was lowered in a fashion he wasn't particularly keen on, so that too was added to his list of unexpected chores.

Fortunately, none of the hidden flaws were really that major. Though we painted the story to seem like the bodywork was done with papier-mch, Robert may not have gotten ripped off, but he surely didn't get what he thought he was paying for. Though not anticipated, a little extra work and a few extra bucks kept the Cheyenne from going back on the auction block. The moral of the story is, no matter who you trust, if you're not 100 percent sure about a potential truck project-be it a prehistoric relic or a newer driver-an educated second opinion is the best insurance you can get.